មនុស្សល្អកម្ររកបានមនុស្សសាមាន្យរកបានដោយងាយ

យល់ឃើញជាក់ត្រូវពឹងពាក់សាក្សី

ខ្ញុំជាមនុស្សឬ?

បរាជ័យព្រោះភ្លាំងស្មារតី ជោគជ័យព្រោះប្រុងប្រយ័ត្ន

បងបួសព្រោះស្រី

១៥.កម្មសងកម្ម(3)

១៥.កម្មសងកម្ម(2)

១៥.កម្មសងកម្ម(1)

១៤.រឿងចាស់(4)

១៤.រឿងចាស់(3)

First Buddhist cultural festival launched in Britain

LONDON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The first ever arts and cultural festival drawing on Buddhist cultural traditions has been unveiled in Britain.     The festival, known as The Many Faces of Buddhism, is held in London at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum and the Barbican Center in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based philanthropic organization -- Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.

    Highlights of the festival include an International Forum on Buddhism and the Arts Today held last Saturday, the opening of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery at the V&A, performances of Buddhist sacred dance, and the first International Buddhist Film Festival in London.

    The new Buddhist sculpture gallery which is to open to the public on Wednesday is the first such gallery in Britain. It features treasures from the V&A's world class collections ranging from monumental Chinese temple sculptures to tiny portable gilded Buddhas.

    The 50 or so sculptures created between AD 200 and 1850 are arranged in geographic groupings demonstrating the diversity of artistic expression throughout Asia, and reflect the differing Buddhist practices of India, Sri Lanka, the Himalayas, Myanmar, Java, Thailand, China and Japan.

    The new gallery includes an 18th-century monumental gilt bronze seated Buddha from China's Tibet, a powerful 7th-century marble torso of the Buddha from Tang Dynasty of China and the head of Buddha, once carved directly into the rock face of a 6th-century cave temple complex at Xiangtangshan, northern China.

    The International Buddhist Film Festival will showcase over 40 films from 18 countries, including 27 UK premieres from May 7 to 17.

    At a press preview of the new gallery held at V&A on Monday, Robert Yau Chung Ho, director of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, said: "The objective of the Foundation is to support broadly Chinese arts and culture. We sincerely hope that our audience for the Many Faces of Buddhism Festival will begin to appreciate Buddhism's rich enduring history and message and through it will find new ways of experiencing and approaching the world."

    The festival will run through May 17.

Editor: Xiong Tong

Read Related News

Getting more out of life with Buddhism

Philosophy lecturer Jay Feldman reads a Buddhism text, "Being Upright:

Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts," in his office Friday.

Feldman will be teaching a Buddhism class over the summer at

Universityof Idaho. Jake Barber/Argonau

Written by Anne-Marije Rook - Argonaut ,   Monday, 27 April 2009

From Asia to America, Buddhism has crossed oceans and is starting toflourish in Moscow.  There are two traditional Buddhist groups inMoscow – the Palouse Zen Community and the Golden Blue Lotus TaraTibetan Buddhist Meditation Center – at which University of IdahoProfessor Jay Feldman is offering three ways to learn about Buddhism.

“Moscow has quite a thriving Buddhist community,” Feldman said.

Feldman has been teaching Buddhism at UI for six years, and as of lastweek, he’s leading a Buddhism group at the Unitarian Church which willcontinue until May 17.

This summer, Feldman offers a six-week online Buddhism class that he said can be followed up with his fall on-campus class.

“What I try to do in my courses is to help students get to knowthemselves and become a global citizen,” Feldman said. “My job as ateacher is to teach about Buddhism — to teach it as a philosophy,ethics, religion and psychology.”

Raised Jewish, Feldman said Judaism in the 1950s and ‘60s was goingthrough a difficult period—post-holocaust—and felt it wasn’tspiritually fulfilling.

When he married nine years ago, he inherited a 4-year-old son and hesaid he felt the need to “develop a personal spiritual path such as onecan offer the child and be the best person possible.”

He studied Buddhism at University of Hawai’i and UI.

“I had an affinity to the Buddhism teaching and found it to be mypath,” Feldman said. “Buddhism is not a going-to-church,memorizing-doctrine type of religion.”

Feldman said Buddhism is more than 2,500 years old, and it’s been inthe U.S. since the 1800s when Asian workers immigrated for the GoldRush. The 1940s through ‘50s beat generation was the main drive behindBuddhism in America.

The Buddhism practiced in America today is considered American Buddhismbecause the lack of a formal doctrine allows for Buddhism to assimilateto a country’s culture.

Although one may find Buddhist temples in larger cities, Feldman said Buddhism in America is not a temple practice.

“What makes Buddhism appealing, is because (of) its non-doctrinebeliefs, it’s not orthodox,” Feldman said. “In fact, Buddhism tells us‘don’t take things on authority.’ This is appealing to Americansbecause many Americans like individuality and distrust authority. It’sa personal path­—we’re all trying to figure out what this life isabout.”

Feldman said American Buddhism is now faced with some interestingchallenges as it adapts to people with disabilities, female priests,people of color and gay people.

Feldman said they welcome all with open arms.

“The basic tenants of Buddhism are love and compassion and to end suffering for all beings,” he said.

This extends to environmental issues as well.

Marie Haley, an exchange student from New Zealand, is currently takingdirected studies in Engaged Buddhism with Feldman. She said she wasattracted to Buddhism because of her travels through Asia.

Haley said her environmental club in New Zealand has been incorporatingBuddhist teachings by taking a holistic approach to change.

“In the beginning I wanted to save the world,” Haley said. “Now I realize the world doesn’t need saving.”

Instead, Haley said we need to change environmental habits.

“We’re individualistic,” she said. “We think it’s our body, our landand we get to do with it what we want. In Buddhism you learn it’s allintegrated.”

Feldman said he encourages people of all faiths and backgrounds toattend his courses or drop in on a session at the Unitarian Church.

“If you come to my class with previous spiritual commitment, there’s agood chance you’ll leave with a deeper spiritual commitment,” Feldmansaid.

Haley said Buddhist teachings are part of her life now.

“Buddhism is about experience,” Haley said. “If you’re open, you might get a more intimate experience with life.”

Fewer than expected turn out at Kandal ordination

Written by May Titthara
Phnom Penh Post, Monday, 27 April 2009

Ceremony kicks off a 10-day course in which prospective monks
and nuns study Buddhist history and Cambodian cultur

Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN

A monk shaves the head of a young novice on Saturday.

Kandal Province_HUNDREDS of young men and women travelledto Wat Soriya Puomeas in Kandal's Muk Kampul district Saturday to beordained as monks and nuns at a 10-day course on Buddhist teachings,organisers said, adding, however, that the numbers were far fewer thanexpected.

"We will teach them how to be grateful to their parents, about thehistory of the Buddha, the value of Cambodian culture and about socialmorals," said Chhunn Noem, chief of the Cambodian Student Associationbased in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Chhunn Noem said the total number who made the trip, around 270, was far lower than the 500 he had anticipated.  

"We only had a short time to promote this ceremony," he said. He said only about 40 women came to participate in the ceremony.

"Some of our mothers do not allow their daughters to become ordainedbecause they think that nobody would be able to take care of the house,or they think their daughters are too busy with their studies," hesaid.

Chab Ny, 19, from Kampong Cham province, said he participated in the ceremony "to study about the Buddhist rules".

"I will be a monk forever because I think that 10 days is not enoughfor me to study," he said.  Suom Heng, 46, said, "Today my son come tobe ordained as a monk because he wanted to be thankful for me and hismother."

Buddhist novice numbers fall in Cambodia

PHOTO
Buddhist leaders hope to teach young people
about family duties, religious history, culture and morals.
[ABC]

Australia Network News, Tue, 28 Apr 2009

Nearly 300 young Cambodian men and women have travelled to Muk Kampuldistrict in Kandal province to be ordained as monks and nuns at a10-day course on Buddhist teachings.

However, organisers say the numbers are far fewer than expected.

Kandal province surrounds, but does not include, the national capital of Phnom Penh.

TheCambodian Student Association says the novices will be taught how to begrateful to their parents, about the history of the Buddha, the valueof Cambodian culture and social morals.

The Phnom Penh Post quotes the association as saying only about 40 women are attending.

ChhunnNoem, chief of the Cambodian Student Association based in Chiang Mai,Thailand, said the total number who made the trip, around 270, was farlower than the 500 he had anticipated.

"We only had a short time to promote this ceremony," he said.

Cambodian consulate opens in Lowell

By Associated Press

Monday, April 27, 2009

LOWELL ? The third Cambodian consulate in the U.S. has opened in Massachusetts.

The consulate in Lowell, featuring a small Buddhist shrine, wasdedicated during a small ceremony Sunday attended by about 200 people.

Cambodian Ambassador Hem Heng says the facility will helpCambodian-Americans and citizens get visas, passport validations anddeal with other diplomatic matters that previously were handled inWashington.

It will also help boost trade and investment between the nations.

Lowell, about 25 miles northwest of Boston, has a significant Cambodian population.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong was taken by ambulanceto a city hospital after falling ill, but ceremony emcee Vesna Nuontells The Sun of Lowell that Namhong was simply exhausted.